Syria

Syria (1946-) is a republic located on the Mediterranean shoreline of the Middle East region of Asia. Gaining independence from France in 1946, Syria became a dictatorship in 1970 after Hafez al-Assad overthrew President Nureddin al-Atassi.

History
Syria was ruled by Ebla in its first years, with Damascus being built in 6300 BC. It was later taken over by the Egyptian Empire during their expansion north against the warlords of Palestine and the Levant, but was conquered by the Persian Empire during the wars of conquest against Egypt in the 2000s BC. Syria gained its own unique government once more when Alexander the Great of Macedon took over the city during the 330s BC and gave it to his general Seleucus upon his death in 323 BC. Seleucus founded the Seleucid Empire, which was centered in Syria. Syria became not only home to the Levantine people, but also gained a large population of Greeks, who spread Hellenistic culture to the region.

Syria was conquered by the Roman Empire in 73 BC after the remaining Seleucid princes were forced to submit to Roman rule, and under Rome, Syria became a major province. The region gained a large following of Christians that became known as "Maronites", who attracted many of the Greek citizens; Greece became a stronghold of Christianity. Syria's Christian community spread to nearby Lebanon, and today Greek Orthodox is a major religion of the country.

After the Roman Empire's divide in 330 AD, Syria became a province of the Eastern Roman Empire. It was conquered by the Arabs in 640 AD under Khalid ibn al-Walid, a general of the Rashidun Caliphate who was known for his great skills in combat. Soon, all of the Levant and Palestine fell under Arab control. Ruled nominally by the Rashiduns, it was really ruled by the Sultanate of Damascus, which remained free from the Seljuk Empire, Crusader States, and the Fatimid Caliphate until Salah ad-Din of the Egyptian Ayyubid Caliphate conquered Damascus in 1175.

In the 1100s, the Hashshashin order was founded, building bases in Syria and Persia. An order of assassins, they were powerful in the region and remained powerful until the Mongol Empire conquered them in 1257 in the Fall of Masyaf. They destroyed 300 Assassin strongholds and took much of the Middle East, but the Levant remained under Crusader (Christian) and Arab rule. The Mongols conquered the city in 1260, but the city was later reclaimed by Mamelukes.

In 1511, the city was taken over by the Ottoman Empire. It was one of their largest cities, and remained in their hands until France took the city in 1917 during World War I. French Syria lasted from 1917 to 1946, after World War II, when Arabs were given the right to self-rule.

Syria as an independent country was originally a republic, but in 1970 Hafez al-Assad founded a dictatorship. Today, rebels fight the government in the Syrian Civil War in hopes of installing a democratic government.